Hello.
I have just succeeded in unbolting some form of grinder-machine from right under the fusebox in my basement. It looks old, but works fine. It has a wire wheel on one end, which I removed, and a kinda stone thing which removes material hellishly fast. Is there any possibility that I could turn it into a belt sander?
Thanks,
Archie
converting a motor-grinding thingumybob
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Archie Zietman
- Archive Member
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- Joined: Wed Dec 29, 2004 8:51 am
- Location: Salem, MA
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Sasha
- Archive Member
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- Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2000 1:01 am
- Location: State of permanent bemusement
A normal dimmer swi5tch for lights will not work (not for long). An industrial speed control rheostat might, depending on the mnotor setup.
Light dimmers work on having a coil of semi conductive wire and a moving contact point. The dimmer you want the lights, the further from the contact the moving contact connects to (thus transmitting current across a longer length of the semi conducting wire and its higher resistence). The brighter you want the lights, the closer the moving and fixed contact get , thus using a shorter length of semi conductor and getting more power to bridge across the high resistence area.
Something with a high current draw like a motor (even a 1/4hp) will actively try sucking power to get its wheel turning and basically make the semi conducting wire glow like a chirstmas light for a couple of seconds before melting the switch.
So try to avoid performing this experiment.
Sasha
Light dimmers work on having a coil of semi conductive wire and a moving contact point. The dimmer you want the lights, the further from the contact the moving contact connects to (thus transmitting current across a longer length of the semi conducting wire and its higher resistence). The brighter you want the lights, the closer the moving and fixed contact get , thus using a shorter length of semi conductor and getting more power to bridge across the high resistence area.
Something with a high current draw like a motor (even a 1/4hp) will actively try sucking power to get its wheel turning and basically make the semi conducting wire glow like a chirstmas light for a couple of seconds before melting the switch.
So try to avoid performing this experiment.
Sasha
"Work like you were living in the early days of a better nation"
Well at least the idea not to try that 
Thank You